Given the University of Missouri summary results, three fertility management strategies should be strongly considered for the 2022 season.

Researchers at Washington State University Extension weigh in on the need and economic realities of liming soils in the northwestern U.S. as pH levels continue to drop and affect crop health.

If soils are too acidic, phosphorus reacts with iron and aluminum, making it unavailable to plants. But if soils are too alkaline, phosphorus reacts with calcium and also becomes inaccessible. However, liming can influence other ways by which phosphorus might become available to plants.

Brian Arnall and Misha Manucheri from Oklahoma State University Extension discusses how soil pH, or the amount of hydrogen (H) ions present in the soil solution, affects the persistence and uptake of a herbicide that has soil activity.

Judging from the number of calls received this year, the decrease of soil pH and increase in acres affected by aluminum (Al) toxicity is increasing in North Dakota and the region.

Soil gets tired. After years of supporting a rotating cast of crops, the soil’s nutrient supply is often exhausted. The tilling, turning, and planting also degrade the organic matter in the soil and its ability to stay hydrated.

With many farms experiencing excessive rains and saturated soil in 2017, Michigan State University Extension discusses how much nitrogen may have been lost through denitrification or leaching, and what to do about it.

Do you really need to fertilize your no-till soybeans? Can’t you just let them scavenge for what’s left in the soil after corn?

If soil calcium and magnesium levels are adequate and soil pH is acceptable, variations in the calcium-to-magnesium ratio between 2 and 8 have been shown to have no influence on crop yield.

Web-exclusive content for this issue includes:

• Information on Soil Acid/pH levels
• Insight into how John Kutz built a twin-row planter from scratch